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Atlantic Notes: Ratzlaff, Bruins, Hedman, Point

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One of the Sabres’ goaltending prospects has taken an intermediate step toward joining the organization. 2023 fifth-round pick Scott Ratzlaff signed an ATO with their AHL affiliate in Rochester on Wednesday and could make his professional debut before the 2023-24 season draws to a close. The Sabres still have until June 1, 2025, to sign him to an entry-level contract before losing his exclusive signing rights, though, and the 19-year-old still has one season of major junior eligibility remaining. As such, the Alberta native will return to WHL Seattle for a fourth season in 2024-25. He took over the starting role for the first time this season, but his numbers dived along with the team in front of him, which lost multiple high-caliber talents to NHL clubs after capturing the WHL championship last year. He still managed a respectable .905 SV% and 3.33 GAA in 52 games – decent numbers for that level of hockey – and posted a 21-26-1 record with one shutout. The 6’1″, left-catching netminder was part of Canada’s contingent at this year’s World Junior Championship but didn’t see any playing time.

More notes out of the Atlantic Division:

  • The Bruins can become the second team to clinch a spot in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight by avoiding a regulation loss against the Lightning, per the league. Still in contention for the Atlantic title and the President’s Trophy, the franchise is poised to earn a postseason berth for the eighth consecutive season and for the 15th time in the last 17 years. While not on last season’s record-breaking tear, the retirements of team legends Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí haven’t thrown the ever-consistent Bruins into complete turmoil, and a 9-0-1 start to the season back in October has helped buoy them throughout the ups and downs of the campaign. A second-place finish behind the Panthers still seems likely, but after coming from behind late last night to defeat Florida 4-3 in regulation, a third division title in the last five years isn’t out of the question. Boston has not missed the playoffs for more than two seasons in a row since the Original Six era.
  • Lightning stars Victor Hedman and Brayden Point were on the ice for Tampa’s morning skate on Wednesday and are likely to suit up against Boston tonight, per Chris Krenn of the team’s official site. Both players carry day-to-day injury designations and missed Sunday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Ducks with lower-body ailments. The team is certainly ecstatic to have their second and third-leading scorers back in the lineup in what could be a key two points for playoff positioning, potentially helping them leapfrog the Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic down the stretch. After Toronto lost to the Devils on Tuesday night, Tampa is four points back with no games in hand.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Tampa Bay Lightning

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Who are the Lightning thankful for?

Nikita Kucherov.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are having a modest season by their standards but that hasn’t meant anything for their star winger, who currently leads the NHL with a comical 67 points in 40 games. That includes 28 goals, a mark that’s ranked second in the league. The 30-year-old Kucherov is on pace for a staggering 57 goals and 137 points which would both be career-highs. While the Lightning are working on extending their reign over the playoffs, Kucherov is working on solidifying his spot as a franchise legend, now in his sixth consecutive season of either scoring, or being on pace for, 100-or-more points. He confidently ranks fourth in all-time Lightning scoring but has the highest point-per-game pace (1.16) in the club’s history. Kucherov also leads all Russian players in points-per-game and broke into the Top 10 in career scoring among Russian NHLers this season.

Kucherov is chasing yet another Hart Trophy, four seasons after his 2019 win, and will undeniably be one of the biggest pieces of Tampa’s push for the playoffs in the second half of the year.

What are the Lightning thankful for?

Plenty of offense.

Tampa’s .524 winning percentage is the lowest the team has had since the 2012-13 season but their defining trait remains the same – their undeniable star talent. Every Lightning leader is performing as expected, with Kucherov’s league-leading season being matched by Brayden Point’s 42 points in 41 games, Victor Hedman’s 39 points in 39 games, and Steven Stamkos’ 38 points in 38 games. Even Brandon Hagel has joined in on the fun, recording 32 points in 41 games of his own. The team’s top-six is certainly fueling each other, helping boost up some scoring totals, but the reliability offered by such consistent top-end scoring has willed Tampa through a shaky start to the year.

The quartet has helped Tampa score the seventh-most goals in the NHL this season, keeping the league’s most notorious offense alive despite a year of lesser success. They’re also pulling forward what is a top-heavy forward group, with Tampa boasting four forwards with 30-or-more, and four with 10-or-fewer, points on the season. While depth scoring has been a key piece of many recent Stanley Cup wins, the Lightning’s top brass is showing that scoring will never be too much of a concern.

What would the Lightning be even more thankful for?

Prime Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Andrei Vasilevskiy is the only star with question marks surrounding him. The netminder returned from an early-season injury in late-November. He struggled in his first four games, allowing 14 goals on 99 shots, but bounced back to form with a 25-shot shutout in his fifth game back. He finished December and started January strong, recording a .914 save percentage across his next 13 games, but recently allowed the Boston Bruins six goals on 26 shots, bringing his season totals to a meager 9-9-0 record and .895 save percentage. The 29-year-old has only made 18 appearances this season, and found a strong streak through December, hopefully suggesting that his season struggles are more a result of a contested start to the season than anything else.

Tampa has allowed the fourth-most goals this season, and the sixth-most on a per-game basis, despite facing a league-average 30.5 shots-against per-game. While they certainly didn’t start the year with the ideal goaltending situation, they’ll need to see Vasilevskiy truly snap back to form if they want to continue their reign of dominance.

What should be on the Lightning holiday wish list?

Good health.

In a year where plenty of teams are hoping for a new top-six forward, star defenseman, or starting goalie in their giftbox, Tampa can calmly hope for good health above all else. Injuries have not been the team’s friend this season, with Vasilevskiy, Stamkos, Hedman, and Kucherov missing at least one game earlier in the year and Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak, and Tanner Jeannot all currently out of the lineup. The team is even without one of their few NHL signings this summer, as Logan Brown has been out the whole season with an undisclosed injury. Vasilevskiy’s up-and-down season has underlined just how important being consistently in the lineup is for Tampa’s chemistry.

Tampa is currently well outside of a playoff spot, ranked behind four teams for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card. What’s worse – the Bolts have played in the most games of any NHL team. Time is not on their side but Tampa has shown their stars can do enough to will the team forward… when they’re all healthy. They will need to maintain that health for the rest of the season if they want to pull themselves up the standings in the second half of the year.

Injury Notes: Grubauer, Coyotes, Hedman

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Seattle Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer has not played in the team’s last two games, and today head coach Dave Hakstol told the media, including team reporter Alison Lukan, that Grubauer’s status is considered week-to-week. The result of Hakstol’s announcement is that Grubauer’s availability for the Winter Classic in Seattle is now in question.

A former Vezina Trophy finalist, Grubauer has split starts this season with Joey Daccord. Grubauer’s form since signing a $5.9MM AAV contract with the Kraken has been poor, and this season has been no different. He has a .884 save percentage, a decline from the .895 mark he posted the year before. With Grubauer out, the Kraken will turn to a tandem of Daccord and Chris Driedger.

Some other injury notes from across the NHL:

  • PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reported three injury updates from Arizona today: forward Nick Schmaltz is injured and will be a game-time decision for Friday’s game, defenseman Sean Durzi is unlikely to play that game due to injury, and injured forward Jack McBain, who has not played in over a month, is expected to return to the ice. The best news of this trio is undoubtedly the return of McBain. The 23-year-old physical center scored 12 goals and 26 points in his rookie season last year, registering 304 hits along the way, which ranked second among all forwards. He had scored a healthy seven points in 13 games before getting injured in November.
  • Bally Sports Florida’s Gabby Shirley reports that 2018 Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman will not play in tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers due to an upper-body injury. It’s unclear if Hedman will miss more time beyond tonight’s game. The legendary 32-year-old defenseman has been one of the league’s best defensemen this season, scoring 27 points in 29 games. Without Hedman in their lineup, the struggling Lightning will face a tall task attempting to beat the Oilers, as Edmonton is riding an eight-game winning streak.

Victor Hedman Out Day-To-Day

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that star defenseman Victor Hedman will be out of the lineup day-to-day. The news came just minutes before the team is set to hit the ice to take on the Vancouver Canucks. Hedman was considered a game-time decision earlier in the day and will not dress this evening. Tampa Bay did not provide specifics on the ailment, simply calling it an upper-body injury at this time.

The Lightning have dealt with several injuries to key contributors this season and will now have to deal with one to their top defenseman. Hedman has been on a tear offensively in the first third of the season, registering five goals and 22 assists in 29 games. While those numbers are certainly impressive, context is important. 16 of Hedman’s 27 points have come on the power play as Hedman’s even-strength numbers have not been as strong this season when compared to previous years. Part of that could be that the Lightning aren’t icing as competitive of a team, but Hedman’s play does raise the question as to whether he has been dealing with an underlying issue.

With Hedman out of the lineup, Mikhail Sergachev will likely slide into his spot of the top defensive pairing as well as on the power play. His minutes will likely increase as could Carp, Ontario’s Calvin de Haan who will likely see a bump into the Lightning’s top 4.

If Hedman is out long-term, the Lightning may have a tough time replacing his minutes, which would not be good news for a team that is sitting outside of the playoff picture at the moment.

Atlantic Notes: Lightning, Edvinsson, Zboril

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As is typical for any team once they are knocked out of the playoffs, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports that laundry list of playoff injuries sustained by the Tampa Bay Lightning in their opening-round matchup. Throughout the playoffs, most teams usually keep their player’s specific injuries very close to their chest.

Erik Cernak, who would only manage to play nine minutes in Game One before being removed for the rest of the series, was dealing with a concussion after sustaining a high hit from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting. Similar to Cernak, trade deadline acquisition Michael Eyssimont was also dealing with concussion symptoms but was able to return to the team and score a goal in Game Five.

Victor Hedman, who would only miss Game Two in the series, was apparently dealing with a hip impingement, and Tanner Jeannot, who would only play three games in the playoffs for the Lightning, had a high ankle sprain. Most impressively, Brayden Point, who had a brutal run into the boards aided by Morgan Rielly in Game Three, had a rib cage cartilage fracture resulting from that play and still managed to play in the rest of the series.

Other Atlantic Division notes:

  • The Detroit Red Wings announced that top prospect Simon Edvinsson has undergone successful shoulder surgery, and his recovery timeline will be 4-6 months, meaning he will likely be out to start next season. In his first taste of NHL action this season, Edvinsson played in nine games towards the end of the season in Detroit, scoring two goals. Primarily playing for their AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins this year, Edvinsson played in 52 games, scoring five goals and 22 assists.
  • Mark Divver of NHL.com reports that Boston Bruins’ defenseman Jakub Zboril will suit up for Czechia in the IIHF World Championship. Zboril, who is on the first year of a 2-year, $2.275MM contract, played in 22 games this year for Boston, scoring one goal and three assists.

Injury Notes: Morrissey, Hedman, Ehlers

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Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey left Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights after playing just over a minute and did not return. According to John Lu of TSN, the news went from bad to worse for the Jets as Head Coach Rick Bowness announced the star defender will be out for the remainder of the series. He appeared to be hit with a knee as he delivered a body check and then blocked a shot early in the first period before being ruled out with a lower-body injury.

This is a huge blow for the Jets. Morrissey’s name was in the Norris Trophy conversation in a season where he scored 16 goals and 76 points in 78 games. Morrissey led the Jets in average ice time per game this season and is the quarterback of their star-studded power play. The Jets played almost all of Game 3 without him, and it resulted in their five other defenders having to play against tougher competition than they are used to facing every night. Neal Pionk  played over 41 minutes in a game that Winnipeg eventually lost in double overtime.

The Jets now trail the series 2-1 and will look to even it up at home in Game 4 on Monday. It is going to be a tall task for the group of Jets healthy defenders to shut down the Golden Knights deep offensive lineup.

  • Another star defenseman who is dealing with injury is Victor Hedman. Fortunately, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Tampa Bay Lightning defender returns to the lineup for Game 3. Hedman missed Game 2 and the team missed his presence as they fell 7-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs to even the series at 1-1. Hedman played just 6:35 in Game 1 before leaving with injury at the start of the second period.
  • Jeff Hamilton of The Winnipeg News reports Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets remains out of the lineup for Game 3. The 27-year-old winger scored 12 goals and 38 points in 45 games this season but battled a few injuries during the year. His most recent injury came when he was hit by Ryan Hartman of the Minnesota Wild late in the regular season on a play that was deemed interference since Ehlers had never touched the puck. The skilled winger is missed as the Jets try to upset the top-ranked Western Conference Vegas Golden Knights in a first round series.

Lightning Notes: Hedman, Cernak, Eyssimont, Cirelli

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Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman is classified as a game-time decision for tonight’s third game against Toronto, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times.  The veteran, who took part in line rushes with Nick Perbix in the morning skate, will take the pregame skate, a step he was unable to do in Thursday’s second game.  While his production was down sharply this season, he still managed 49 points in 76 games while logging nearly 24 minutes a night and he would certainly be a significant boost to a back end that struggled considerably on Thursday night.

More from Tampa Bay:

  • Encina also notes that blueliner Erik Cernak isn’t expected to return tonight. He was injured in the opening game of the series after taking a hit to the head from Michael Bunting, a play that earned the winger a three-game suspension.  Cernak did not take part in the morning skate.  The 25-year-old averaged nearly three hits per game this season while chipping in with 14 points in 70 games.  Notably, Cernak also led all Lightning blueliners in shorthanded playing time per game.
  • While they won’t get Cernak back, Encina relays that the Lightning will have the option of putting forward Mikey Eyssimont back in the lineup. The 25-year-old suffered a head injury in the series opener.  Eyssimont has been a regular most nights on Tampa Bay’s fourth line but with Tanner Jeannot returning on Thursday, it’s not a guarantee that he’ll be suiting up even after being cleared to return.
  • TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie mentions (Twitter link) that center Anthony Cirelli took part in the morning skate today, a sign that he should be able to suit up tonight. He took a hit from Auston Matthews late in the third in Game Two but it appears it won’t keep him out of action.

Victor Hedman Out For Game Two

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Mark Masters of TSN reports that all-star defenseman Victor Hedman will not dress in game two, as the Tampa Bay Lightning look to take a commanding lead against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In now the 10th playoff stretch throughout his career, this will only be the third game that Hedman has ever missed in the quest for Lord Stanley.

During the Lightning’s dominating win against the Maple Leafs Tuesday night, Hedman would only see the ice for about six and a half minutes, before leaving the rest of the game with an undisclosed injury. It appears the injury is substantial, as he will not be skating for the team in game two, and defenseman Haydn Fleury will take his place in the lineup.

Although Hedman would only play a handful of minutes, it did not appear to affect the Lightning all that much. However, with the potent offense of the Maple Leafs staring them down, Hedman is a major piece to be missing for Tampa Bay. A winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Hedman is one of the better playoff performers of the past decade.

On the other side of the puck, the Maple Leafs now have an even better opportunity to knock off the three-time defending Eastern Conference Champions. As game two gets underway shortly, and putting aside the surefire game one victory, the Lightning will have an uphill battle without one of their top players in the lineup.

Lightning Notes: Hedman, Jeannot, Eyssimont

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The Tampa Bay Lightning could have Victor Hedman back in the lineup tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The big defenseman took the morning skate, and is a game-time decision. Hedman left game one early with what head coach Jon Cooper deemed a”new” injury, but might not miss much important action. The Lightning rolled over Toronto in game one while playing shorthanded, after Erik Cernak also left with a head injury.

Cernak has been ruled out, but it is a good sign for Lightning fans that Hedman is this close, even if he happens to miss tonight.

Here are some more Lightning injury notes:

  • All indications are that Tanner Jeannot will make his Tampa Bay postseason debut tonight, less than two weeks after suffering what appeared to be a serious injury. The former Nashville Predators forward was the team’s big deadline addition and could add another level of physicality to the series. Jeannot scored just one goal in 20 games with the Lightning after the trade but racked up 77 hits, even averaging fewer than 12 minutes a night.
  • Mikey Eyssimont, who also left game one after a big hit, has been ruled out for game two but took part in morning skate. That’s another good sign that he could return this series, giving the Lightning some more depth as they try to knock Toronto out for the second year in a row.

Lightning Notes: Cernak, Eyssimont, Hedman

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The Tampa Bay Lightning won the first game of their series with the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 7-3. But it was not all smooth sailing for the Bolts as they had a number of injuries to deal with following the opening game of what they hope is their fourth consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Some lineup shuffling is expected before the two teams meet again for Game 2.

Kristen Shilton of ESPN reports that Erik Cernak will be out of the lineup on Thursday night. The big Lightning defenseman did not return after he took a nasty hit from Michael Bunting and left Game 1. Bunting was sentenced with a match penalty and will be suspended for the next three games of the series for the headshot that knocked Cernak out of the lineup. The 25-year-old defenseman plays a top-four role with the Lightning, averaging 19:14 per game in the regular season while leading the team in average ice time per game while shorthanded.

  • Trade dealing acquisition Michael Eyssimont was also shaken up in Game 1 due to a questionable hit. Jake McCabe appeared to catch the Lightning forward with a headshot and he left the game. Chris Krenn of NHL.com reports Eyssimont will not play in Game 2. The 26-year-old winger scored two points in 15 games with the Lightning after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks.
  • Eduardo A Encina of Tampa Bay Times reports Victor Hedman will be a gametime decision in Game 2. The star defenseman left the opening game after the first period, briefly returned to the bench, then left the game for good early in the middle frame. With Cernak out, the Lightning blue line starts to look pretty thin if Hedman is unable to play as well. The 32-year-old defenseman scored nine goals and 49 points this season and played a big role in all situations for the Lightning, averaging 23:43 per game in the regular season.

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